Leanne Taylor

After a life changing cycling accident in 2018 left her paralyzed from the waist down, Leanne at 25 years old, had to rebuild her life from the ground up.

Determined to create a fulfilling life and move forward, Leanne set a lofty goal of completing a triathlon, using only her arms, just eight months after her injury. And she did it.

Fast forward four years, Leanne has become one of the top ranked Para-triathletes in the world while adapting to life in a wheelchair.

Leanne has always been competitive and played a lot of sports growing up. She joined a triathlon club in university prior to her injury. She really enjoyed the environment and variety in training. After she was injured, she worked with a recreational therapist in the hospital to help connect her with people in sport.

The first sport she tried was wheelchair racing with former Paralympic medalist Colin Mathiason. She enjoyed the experience and had finally found something that made her feel athletic and could get her heart rate up, which she admittedly feared being something she wouldn’t be able to find after her injury.

Leanne was immediately hooked. She later discovered biking with another Paralympic medalist, Kristine Cowley, and joined a swim club for people with disabilities called Para Storm Swim Club. Shortly after, she was connected with Carolyn Murray, Triathlon Canada’s Head Coach and they set a joint goal of completing a triathlon in Sarasota. Just eight-months after her injury, they did it!

Leanne has never looked back, continuing to develop in the sport of triathlon while traveling to some of the most beautiful places in the world but none better than in Canada where she is surrounded by friends, family and Canada’s passionate triathlon community. That said, one of her most memorable international races was in Leeds, England, which took place shortly after the pandemic lockdown.

Leanne was born in England and moved to Canada when she was 10. She was thrilled to have the opportunity to race in front of her England-based family members including her grandmother who was the loudest cheerleader on the sidelines. Speaking to her grandmother post-race is a moment she will cherish forever. Her grandmother sadly passed away in 2022.

Leanne has shared her uplifting experiences with diverse audiences from healthcare organizations to podcast listeners and would be thrilled to have the opportunity to share her joy and zest for life with your group.

Her zest for life extends far beyond sport. Leanne also excels in her day job as a Compliance Officer at a pharmaceutical company where she recently won an award as one of the Top 25 Women in Biotechnology in 2022.

Did You Know… Leanne’s hero is Silken Laumann. Silken is not only an incredible and resilient athlete, but it is her views on connecting with others that changed the way Leanne approaches sport and daily life. Leanne is a total cat person – her cat’s name is Zola. If Leanne wasn’t racing herself, she believes she’d be coaching other Para athletes. She is so thankful for the coaches who have introduced her to this sport.